Since the announcement of the temporary nuclear deal with Iran, Republicans have been outraged at the thought of using any sort of diplomacy when dealing with the situation. And despite the fact that several of our biggest allies were involved in this agreement, Republicans are focusing all of their anger toward President Obama.

I know, you’re as shocked as I am.

But like with most things, this over the top outrage being displayed by many Republicans is filled with irony and complete hypocrisy.

After all, wasn’t their “conservative hero” Ronald Reagan the same guy who got caught selling illegal arms to Iran? Oh, yeah—he did. Iran-Contra was the willful act by the Reagan administration to sell arms to the Iranian government, despite Iran being the subject of an arms embargo.

Just imagine for a moment if instead of reaching a six-month agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, President Obama got caught illegally selling arms to the Iranian government. The Republicans would be going out of their minds with anger and outrage.

Well, that’s exactly what Ronald Reagan did. You know, the president many conservatives see as the greatest of all-time and a beacon of American values.

Mind you, Iran-Contra happened just five years from the Iran hostage crisis when fifty-two Americans were held hostage in Tehran for 444 days.

Again, just think about that for a second. Imagine if fifty-two Americans were taken hostage inside Iran in 2009, then in 2014 the Obama administration gets caught selling arms illegally – to Iran.

Republicans have talked impeachment because of the Affordable Care Act — could you imagine if Obama was caught selling illegal arms to Iran just five years removed from fifty-two Americans being held hostage inside Iranian borders? Hell, look at how outraged they are because Obama worked with several other nations on a short-term plan to tackle Iran’s nuclear program.

Even after President Obama said this:

“It is in our national interest to watch for changes within Iran that might offer hope for an improved relationship. Until last year there was little to justify that hope. Indeed, we have bitter and enduring disagreements that persist today. At the heart of our quarrel has been Iran’s past sponsorship of international terrorism. Iranian policy has been devoted to expelling all Western influence from the Middle East. We cannot abide that because our interests in the Middle East are vital. At the same time, we seek no territory or special position in Iran. The Iranian revolution is a fact of history, but between American and Iranian basic national interests there need be no permanent conflict.”

Wait, no, that wasn’t President Obama. That was actually said by President Reagan on November 13, 1986, addressing the Iran-Contra scandal.

Ouch. I guess that means Reagan was “soft on terror” and supported countries that harbored terrorists, right?

But hell, he didn’t just support them – he armed them.

Then during the trials to determine what criminal activity might have taken place, the Reagan administration refused to declassify certain documents that would have helped to reveal what actually went on. Oh, but please, let’s talk about Benghazi and the made up right-wing conspiracies.

Reagan flat-out denied the declassification of documents that might show true criminal activity within his administration in the facilitating of illegal arms to Iran, a country that just a handful of years earlier took fifty-two Americans hostages for 444 days.

So I just have to laugh at Republicans falling over themselves to attack President Obama for agreeing with several other nations on this short-term nuclear deal with Iran.

Maybe if Obama had sold illegal arms to the Iranian government, then they’d consider him an American hero. After all, that’s what Ronald Reagan did — and they absolutely love him.